Beast is an electric and unusual hidden movement game that we just loved playing. That’s it! That’s all you need to know! Enjoy!

This week on the show, we’ve got something a little different! In this short ramble, Ava’s going to tell you all about Hamlet – a game about wonky villages and the strange incentives that build them. Although, she’s not really going to tell you all about Hamlet – this is not a review! Instead, we’re testing the waters on something of a new format – the pilot of ‘Ava Thinks Too Much About…’ where we’ll take a short journey through whatever topic is bouncing around her brain. Enjoy!

Oh my goodness, Tom played Dota 2 again and now he can’t stop. In this hot hot episode of the Shut Up & Sit Down Boardgame Video Review Show, Tom and Matt took a big dip into Guards of Atlantis II – the much hyped MOBA-‘Em-Up for your tabletop! What a fascinating, strange game! You can find all of our relevant opinions on it… right here! Enjoy!

It’s longer and colder than an arctic vacation, but we’re proud to finally release into the wilds our gigantic video review of Frosthaven: can the world’s biggest game get bigger AND better? How much blue cardboard is too much blue? What’s the best way to climb a slippery mountain? Find the answers to some of these questions in today’s hot hot bit of internet media.

Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion

In this CHUNKY video review, Tom and Quinns are appraising ten (ten!) unique small-box games and telling YOU where the gems are at. All of these games are fabulous, we had a blast playing them, and we hope you enjoy this frankly rather silly little video.

• Spots
• For Sale
• Yokai Septet
• Hungry Monkey
• Twilight Inscription
• Worldbreakers: Advent of the Khanate
• Voyages & Aquamarine
• Trek 12
• Trailblazers
• For The Queen

New video! Tom is talking us through a trio of word games that he’s been playing recently – NONE of which would fit the traditional definition of ‘board game’! What a freakish new twist for the channel. Hope you enjoy!

Paperback Adventures (Board Game or App)
LOK (Book or App)
Knotwords

After a hat trick of videos from Tom, Quinns is back with a fashionably late review of award-winning RPG Alice is Missing!

No horses in this game, no sir. Just car. Big horse made of metal. Kind of like a cow made of metal if we’re being real. Cowless Carriage isn’t as good a name though, plus it doesn’t make any sense. I really like the name of this game, y’know? Horseless Carriage. It’s maybe my favourite name of any tabletop game. I didn’t say that in the review because I couldn’t find a place for it, but I think it’s a true fact. Oath is pretty close behind, swiftly followed by Hey That’s My Fish.

Enjoy!

It’s the first video of the year, and Tom is blowing off the cobwebs with a quick ramble about Rummikub – the classic family tile-laying game that he’s been playing for years! Sorry about the crisis at the start. It happens this time of year.

Enjoy!

This week’s review is a very special game indeed. Heat: Pedal to the Metal is one of those rare boxes that just sings from the moment you open it – a snappy, kinetic racing game that I am just absolutely in love with. I hope the motion of this video does a lot to sell the speed of the game, and doesn’t just make you feel violently ill. Enjoy!

Tom: Happy Holidays, Humans! It’s that time of year again, where we thank you for your donations, let you know where the site is at, and rally a little more support to keep us going in the new year.

This is the first time I’ve done one of these, and I wanted to speak earnestly about what I want the site to be, and what the site has been for me. I feel so much about this odd cardboard endeavor, and want to keep it in good shape in the years to come. I know we’ve had a slippery year, but I’m convinced that we can find new ways to get people into the hobby in 2023, and I’m excited. Not just for that, but to also push new features and videos that’ll complete our transition out of the ‘cursed years’ so we’re back on fighting form. It’ll be quite something, I’m sure.

We need your support. And if you already support the channel – thank you so, so much. I have this job because of you, and it’s vitally important to me that I make a bountiful return on that investment of not just finances, but trust. Thank you. Here’s to an even better year of Shut Up & Sit Down.

Matt: Hello! Merry Christmas slash Holidays slash December internet folks and gentle folks!

Today we’ve got a little treat for you!

It’s our wrap-up of Christmas gifts that you might consider buying for people in your life, of the board game variety. We’ve got a whole bunch of different categories here, and the whole team giving their recommendations of the things that they think are going to be absolutely cracking gifts.

Without further ado, “games that you’ll play with a family” – maybe your family, maybe not. It’s not for us to judge.

Rush Out!

SU&SD Affiliates: Purchase in the US: Amazon Purchase in the UK & Europe: Zatu

Matt: Rush Out! is one of my favourite family games in years, mainly because it features everybody fighting against One Evil Wizard. It’s a game where everyone’s rolling dice rapidly at the same time. It’s frantic. It’s silly.

The team of animal heroes and the team of just one wizard have decks of cards they need to get through as quickly as possible by flipping them over and then rolling the correct dice results, putting those dice onto the cards, and then clearing them and moving through the dungeon. It’s a fabulous game with a campaign that unlocks new mechanics as you go.

It is raucous, silly, and I really recommend it.

Scout

SU&SD Affiliates:  USA: Amazon Canada: Rain City UK & Europe: Zatu

Tom: If someone you know might enjoy something that’s really good in a really small box, then consider picking up a copy of Scout!

This one comes with me every single time I go to the pub. We’ve got a review right here. Delicious, delicious little box.

Bohnanza

SU&SD Affiliates:  USA: Amazon Canada: Rain City UK & Europe: Zatu

Tom: And if Scout’s not available because stock has been a little bit on the fritz recently, try getting a copy of Bohnanza.

We just talked about it on our Top 10 Games that Everyone Should Play list, so you probably should play it.

And Bohnanza, great little bean trading game, gets everyone around the table all raucous and angry about beans.

Talkin’ beans @42:53:

Llamaland

SU&SD Affiliates:  Canada: Rain City UK & Europe: Zatu

Matt: Llamaland is the latest game from the person who came up with Bärenpark. That makes them seem like they invented the idea of bears in zoos, and I don’t think Phil did that. He did a lot, but he didn’t do that.

This is a game of trying to make high little tetromino mountains for your llamas.

You got some of that slightly bitey achievement style missions, but mainly you’ll be pulling your own hair out at the fact that now you’ve put a llama on that hill you can’t put another tile on top of it, because there’s a llama there, that’s how llamas work.

It’s not as good as Bärenpark, and you might still want to get that, but it’s incredibly adorable, it’s wonderful to look at, and it does contain llamas – and all of those things count for quite a lot. So I think it’s still a pretty great gift!

Dark times await for the board game hobby. Is that because Undaunted: Stalingrad wants to transport us all to the ugliest battle of the ugliest front of one of the ugliest wars in human history?

No, it’s because some of the scenario design made Quinns REAL mad and he’s going to make that ALL of our problem.

It’s time for our Undaunted: Stalingrad review.

It’s the medical special! Tom is taking a look at two odd dexterity games that have temporarily captured his heart, Rush M.D and For Science! Both involve doing things very fast, often with some jazz fusion in the background (not provided with either game)

This episode also has Meat Boy. Enjoy!

This is a review of Turncoats! Is this the first presenter-less episode of Shut Up & Sit Down? Who knows? But it’s a fun little experiment and I hope you enjoy it.

Turncoats is just cracking – a sumptuous little puzzle in a pouch, and one of the most gorgeous games I’ve played all year. It’s the kind of game that has people at the pub stopping by to ask about the weird little tablecloth you’re all poking, and simple enough that those people could probably come and poke it too. Enjoy!

Quinns and Tom have made a huge mistake. Somehow, the two of them both unanimously decided that they were excited about the new City Series from Queen Games and decided to cover FOUR COMPLICATED GAMES in ONE VIDEO.

What is the City Series, you ask? Why, it’s none other than two beloved games, one adequate game and one /new/ game, all by legendary German designer Stefan Feld.

And why have they all been returned around cities? Well, as you’ll soon see, we have absolutely no idea.

Much like our egos, card games come in all shapes and sizes. This roundup skims the cream off the crop, with some hefty strategy, expanded universes, and a dash of lighter fair to boot.

Do you enjoy working towards a common goal? Coming together as a team to defeat the odds and squash the cardboard menace? Then this is the preview roundup for you!

Are you looking for games for your family or a big group? These games are more accessible and pack a wallop! Let’s see what the team has scared up for us!

Guards of Atlantis II, Trick Shot, Bullet, Undaunted: Stalingrad, Bestiary of Sigillum, Starfinder: Pirates of Skydock

We’ve covered a few of these on the podcast, but now you can SEE them with your very own EYES! Enjoy!

It’s time for everyone’s favourite previews roundup: Crunchy Euros! Not nearly enough beige for our tastes, but a very exciting lineup all the same!

Which one is looking the crunchiest to you?

Next up on our tireless previews of all that is new and shiny is our roundup of puzzle and abstract games! Enjoy!

Well it’s not quite SHUX time yet, but we’re going to get things rolling early and make sure all you AwSHUXers are included as well! Here’s our first batch of exciting new games – let us know what you think of the new format we’re trying, and what games you’re most excited to try!

Tom: “SHUX! HUH?! What does it stand for?!” We don’t really know. But we do know that it’s Canada’s biggest (and best!) board game convention. It’s happening in less than a month, and you should absolutely come along!

As Matt (who is in your garden, right now) attests in the video above, SHUX is our annual board game get-together in the beautiful city of Vancouver. This year we’ve got GAMES, GUESTS, AND RIGOROUS COVID PRECAUTIONS! That last one is less exciting, but it’s certainly important – for your whole bod! We take pride in SHUX being a safe space – and not just in a covid-cautious sense – we truly do want everyone to feel as welcome as possible to sit themselves down at any table they like, and start playing some molten hot board games.

We’ve got a great set of special guests running all kinds of shows, a fabulously stocked library of games, and the whole team running around trying to say hello to literally everyone. I can’t wait. Tickets are available right here, as well as everything you need to know about the show.

But what’s happening in the land of YouTube? Nothing this week, I’m afraid! After the absolutely shocking revelation that a card game (with tokens!) does in fact exist, the whole team have gone into hibernation… by which I mean ‘squirrelling away on preparations for SHUX’. We’ll have a fresh video for you next week, instead!

But don’t fret too much, because we’ve got a truly fabulous feature over in pod-town; Quinns and Ava are going to be talking all about their favourite RPGs! I’m just about to edit it, and I’m quite excited.

That’s all for this week! What have you been up to, everybody?

What’s up YouTube – Thomas Boardgames has made another video! It’s about SCOUT – a card game! (with tokens!). Excuse the extremely hungover energy in this one; I was, in fact, hungover.

Enjoy!

Well, here’s a first! The first ever Shut Up & Sit Down segment inspired by a letter from a medical doctor.

Huge thanks to Chicago’s “Dr. Randall” for giving Quinns the nudge to create this video, which is a lengthy guide to getting into RPGs. Are you intimidated? Lost? Confused? We’re here to make you marginally less of all of those things.

This week on Shut Up & Sit Down, Matt is providing everyone with a public service – reviewing maybe the driest game we have received this year. An absolutely delirious mix of currency, tracks, and ‘playing cards’, Khora: Rise of an Empire seems a typical eurogame on the surface, but what lies… underneath?! Enjoy!

Ava: What’s that hiding in the undergrowth? Why it’s another Ava review! She’s been working on this so long that Living Forest has gone from under-rated gem to Kennerspiel Des Jahres, and I’m so miffed I didn’t beat the German jury to the punch. This lovely deckbuilding push your luck ecosystem has magic, woods, cute art and an appealing pricetag. Do you want to get lost in the woods with me? Don’t answer that, just watch the video.

Root has gathered an impressive number of expansions over the years, so we sent our resident woodland expert, Tom, out to investigate. Surely this piece will feature critical rigour, copious research and an easily understandable format?

What’s that? He made another Tier List? Oh dear.

The Marauder Expansion
The Riverfolk Expansion
The Underworld Expansion
The Clockwork Expansion

It’s taken us SO LONG to make a Spirit Island video that it’s only appropriate that somebody is PUNISHED. It’s true that back in the day we covered it a bit, but it’s fair to say that this co-op classic had yet to get the love from us that it deserved. But is all well on our precious little island, or do we detect the vile tendrils of HATRED? Does someone HATE this game?? Oh my!

Here’s a brain-teaser for you. What do the games Imperial Steam, Space Station Phoenix, Air, Land & Sea: Spies, Lies & Supplies, Akropolis, Guild of Merchant Explorers, Wormholes and Village Rails have in common?

They were all too boring for us to review on their own Why, they’re all reviewed in this video, of course! Enjoy, everybody.

Gosh, what a normal week we’re having! Another normal week in this wholly normal year. And what could be more normal than our bi-annual reminder that we are actually just humans with gas and electric bills!

We do hope you enjoy this silly bit of video, regardless of whether or not you’re currently cushioned enough to allow you to chuck us a couple of quid.

We love doing this, we love making you smile each week, and we hope that we can continue to do both for the foreseeable future.

Thank you for watching, from the whole team!

https://shutupandsitdown.com/donate
https://www.patreon.com/shutupandsitdown

This week’s video has Tom evolving into his final form: BAD WIZARD. It also features a sentient vegetable, and murders with a hammer – so there’s a chance that broadly speaking, things “started to get away from us” a little. This All-vs-1 game of Real-Time Rollin’ game Rush Out! is a treat that surprised us, and it might surprise you!

This week, Tom takes on the chips in a review of burncycle – the big-box heist-em-up from Chip Theory games! Robots, Corporations, and Stealth; ‘Oh My!’. This is a big one; with more components than a thousand-piece jigsaw (false) and more neoprene than most board games (true)!

But is it… any good? Find out in this video! Right here!

It’s a big one! In this lengthy videofilm, Tom takes a look at the work of Project NISEI and their version of Android: Netrunner! Is it good? Is it GREAT? Does it stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the original? Find out the answers to some of these questions for the low low cost of just 32 minutes of your life.

This one was a bit of beast, took me forever, and I don’t know what to do with myself now. Enjoy!

This week Matt discovers a latent love for trains, as he stumbles onto a lightweight co-op gem! Collisions and co-ordination aplenty in Switch & Signal. What’s your favourite flavour of train?

What’s this?! Could it be? They said it couldn’t be done…

Yes, today SU&SD has released none other than a ginormous video review of a role-playing game. The award-winning game of Spire casts a party of players as members of an underground resistance cell, making small acts of rebellion in a society that will almost certainly kill them. This book is imaginative, evocative and has a marvelous sense of humour… but it turns out Quinns had a bit of a problem with it, too.

Enjoy, everybody.

Ava: Well look at that! It’s an Ava video. This cathedral of content has been in preparation for several generations now, and it’s finally here. Biblios: Quill and Parchment is a recent release from Dr Finn’s games that I was able to pick up and try at PAX Unplugged. It was the perfect excuse to talk about one of my top card games of all time, the original Biblios! So here is a double review that definitely shows no signs of me biting off more than I can chew.

A whole world of monk tracks and illuminations are right there waiting for you. Except Biblios might not entirely be in print right now, sorry! There’s suggestions for games to keep you going at the end though, I promise.

Also, I realised while writing this script that I can just say ‘Matt make me a trailer for an imaginary cinematic universe’ and he just HAS to do it. And because he’s Matt he’ll also put approximately ten thousand times the required effort into it. Brilliant. Even when I’m still learning the ropes, this job is lovely. Thanks audience for keeping me in work!

If you’re a fan of red and blue plastics then GOSH do we have a treat for you today – Matt has a review of a – still very large – SMALLER cousin of the behemoth that is War of the Ring, The Battle of Five Armies. Can this Hobbit-based wargame tickle the same sensations as the esoteric giant we reviewed a few years ago? Are games getting bigger generally, or are our tables shrinking? How many orcs could a wood-orc orc if a wood-orc could-orc orc? None of this, and more!

In this double feature, we pay homage to humanity’s oldest art form: the board game review. Also, the art of drawing something and your friends having no idea what it is.

Better yet, Quinns claims that both of the games in this video – Doodle Dash and Pictomania – are better than the classic game of Pictionary. Although the question of which one you should buy is a little bit trickier.

Join us for SHUX’22! https://shux.show
September 30 – October 2, 2022

This week Matt takes a look at the chunkier expansion of The Alchemists for one of his all-time favourites – Quacks! But do these additions sweeten or sour the cauldron? Also, how many more times is he going to use that footage of him and Quinns being hit in the face with a paint cannon? Truly, NOBODY COULD KNOW. How did you folks get on with the expansions?

Collection Tour! Take a peek at 92ish games that Tom treasures enough to place within the waxen wooden walls of his favourite piece of furniture! We’ve got games big and small, men tall and short, and mistakes big and bigger. Enjoy!

In this week’s video, Tom is firing you through several different games at high speed like a dolphin-shaped bullet with a penchant for perusin’.

It’s a roundup! Science said it wasn’t possible, and yet here it is – four (technically six) games stuffed into one short video. We’re getting to grips with gears in Corrosion and understanding udders in Great Western Trail: 2nd Edition! We’re rooting around in the bushes for berries and beasts in Rustling Leaves! And we’re Moving Pictures, Roving… Rove… and… Death(ing) Valley(ing) with some… wacky… wallet…(w)experiences? I lost all my energy by the end there, I’m sorry. Enjoy!

Quickly, grease your horses! Laminate your betting slips! Remove the jockeys from the steam cupboard!Look, if we’re totally honest, team Shut Up & Sit Down doesn’t know the first thing about horse racing.

Fortunately, you don’t have to know the first thing about it to enjoy Long Shot: The Dice Game, which is now up there with our favourite ever roll’n’writes. This game is pretty, it’s silly, and it’s embarrassingly exciting.

Ava has been a key part of the Shut Up & Sit Down podcast for quite a while now, but today is the first time you’ll have seen her in HER VERY OWN VIDEO about Songbirds!

Very exciting stuff, and a lovely continuation of the story arc for those of you who remember the days in which Ava was simply someone popping up in the website comments below. Give her a hearty round of applause, and stay away from any suspicious-looking birds.

In this week’s video review, Tom and Matt are taking a look at Ark Nova – a game rammed to the gills with elephants, stuffed with porcupines and just barely containing a kangaroo. We had a lot of fun playing the game and making the video – and I hope that energy translates well into a ‘nice experience for you; the viewer’.

But listen; I know what isn’t a ‘nice experience for you; the viewer’ and it’s the noise. It was too gross not to include – and if I’ve had to listen to it basically on loop during the editing process, you can probably manage one little slurp, right?

This week’s video features Matt and Tom wrestling with a co-operative campaign of cyphers and code-cracking with The Initiative. Well, it’s mostly Matt reviewing this one if we’re honest, although Tom does a stellar job of wearing a coat and behaving like an idiot. We’re starting to creep our way back out of isolation, and you’ll be seeing more two-human videos in the future! Have a lovely week.

Who fancies a bit of spy-vs-spy in 1980s Zanzibar?

Oh, there’s just one catch: Everybody is psychic. And four characters are immortal. And one of the teams has a dolphin. And the game has 14 expansions.

This is Mind MGMT, and it’s an absolutely terrific board game.

This week Matt’s here to spill the beans on a Reiner Knizia bidding game, Equinox, filled with mystical creatures and oversized cards. But does this gorgeous purple box manage to cut the mustard?

Tom: NO THANKS!

As the team grows and we grow alongside them, we couldn’t be more excited about 2022 – but rather than a video explaining what we’ve got planned for the year ahead, we wanted to offer up a tiny confession: we still haven’t made good on our promise from the summer!

We’ve yet to nail down the specific plans and details, but we’re hoping to spend a good chunk of time this Friday streaming with some of the team on Twitch – if you fancy joining for some low-key festive silliness, we’ll see you then!

If you can comfortably afford to support our team we massively appreciate it – it makes a huge difference. When the skeleton fruits finally fall from the tree? Be warmed by the knowledge that you helped to grow it.

This video is surely proof of SU&SD’s dedication to board game review technology. In the above video we’ve managed to compress no less than three reviewers and three reviews of Flatout Games’ Calico, Cascadia and Verdant.

But that’s not all! You’ve heard her on the pod, you’ve partaken of her written words, but this video represents the team’s own Ava Foxfort’s very first video review. Everybody, please join me in wishing her a the warmest of SU&SD welcomes.

Ava, if you’re reading this? You’re a gem. A gem we’ve socketed into our crown, and you know what? We don’t feel the slightest bit guilty about it.

One of the hottest games of the year, Matt digs his teeth into Furnace. Just how much game have they packed into this box? Click Play, and find out!

CRIMES! Where do they come from? What are they made of? Scientists still don’t know, but one thing’s for sure. If you like solving crimes, Detective: City of Angels might find refuge in your board game collection.

In this video review Quinns says the difference between Detective and games like Consulting Detective and Watson & Holmes is that Detective is “actually fun”. He can’t mean that, can he?

Click play, and find out.

This week’s review was assembled so rapidly that I thought I’d burned my fingers from yanking out that hot hot SD card straight from the camera mere seconds after stopping the record. Mmmm… the smell of burned data. Speaking of hot things – Kabuto Sumo is piquing everyone’s interest now as a real corker of a dexterity game. Is it good? Is it great? Find out here in this Shut Up & Sit Down Video Review.

The Kickstarter for our MonsDRAWsity expansion is LIVE, featuring monsters directly from the minds of our team of highly-trained idiots. Take a look! 

In my head, I can’t help but call this game ‘Burger Bros’, and then have a little fantasy about a co-operative game where you play as two incredibly buff burger chefs as they blaze across a post-apocalyptic world, making absolutely ripping burgers for the survivors. I don’t know how it’d work, I just have the box art crystal-clear in my head.

Anyway, here’s a review of Burgle Bros 2 – a game that actually exists, and is fantastic. Enjoy!

Descent is BACK, BABY! The game that inspired Shut Up & Sit Down’s second ever episode has returned in an eye-popping new edition with a wallet-clutching pricetag.

In the new Descent: Legends of the Dark, gone is the opportunity to play a callous and maleficent (and frequently out-gunned) dungeon master. This time around, every player at the table will control a hero, and you’ll all be steered through the campaign using an app.

It’s a bracing innovation, but what will Quinns make of it? Click play, and find out.

The choice of a green morphsuit was a mistake, I know. I’ve thought about this many times during the editing process, and ‘tight green’ is certainly not the look for me. The game however? It’s… probably not for me either. But that’s okay! Let me explain…

Today on the site, feast your eyes on a video review of The Adventures of Robin Hood – another review that you have my family to thank for – who swarmed around this box like wasps to a jar. This isn’t a game that’ll receive the oldest-young-brewster seal of approval, but it does get it from every other size of Brewster you can think of. Enjoy!

Quinns and Paolo Mori / Sittin’ in a tree / E-N-J-O-Y-I-N-G-D-E-SI-G-N

The man behind Libertalia, Dogs of War, Ethnos and one of the most well-received Pandemic spinoffs is back again with two new releases. Blitzkrieg! and Caesar! are both fabulously quick games, and to do their speediness justice we’ve reviewed them both at the same time. What will we think of next?

Go on then, what’s yer favourite card? I’m partial to a 4 of diamonds myself – but I’m also partial to the hundreds of individual cards featured in this very video. That’s right, we’re once again counting down the very best that cards have to offer right now, covering a dizzying array of games big and small!

In this video, you can catch Tom and Quinns reviewing The Crew again, creating a Fantasy Realm in Fantasy Realms, moseying over to a monarch in Royal Visit, and enjoying what sounds like a big french dessert in Oriflamme. We also make time to talk about the crown prince of cards; Regicide – as well as dipping our critical toes into a bunch of different boxes in a not-quite-review-roundup. It’s a big one, and you’re invited!

You’re also invited to… Board Game Arena! You’ll notice that we’ve taken on a sponsorship for BGA in this video – a natural choice as the team are fans of what they do, with their digital adaptations of board games new and old helping us through this challenging year. If you’d like to support us and them, please click this link, and let us know how this new sponsor for us makes you feel in the comments below.

Also? Huge thanks to the owner of Brighton’s excellent Artisan Deli Market for being such a good sport.

0:59 The Crew
Tom’s Review of The Crew
The Crew: The Quest for Planet Nine
The Crew – Mission Deep Sea
Try The Crew for free on BGA
3:02 Oriflamme
Try Oriflamme for free on BGA
5:50 Oriflamme: Ablaze
6:28 Fantasy Realms
10:36 Royal Visit
15:29 Runners-up
Codex Naturalis
Try Codex Naturalis for free on BGA
Stick ‘Em
Anansi
Spicy
Coyote
Liar’s Dice
Shamans
Claim/Claim 2
18:15 Regicide

Everybody in the club gettin’ fuzzled! This week Matt investigates, The Fuzzies, the reality-defying tower of balls that’s surprisingly… relaxing?

Badabing Badacrew! It’s a review of The Crew, 1 and 2!

In this video, Tom spends far too long burying the lede before chomping down on what makes The Crew: The Quest For Planet Nine and The Crew: Mission Deep Sea some of the best card games on the market, and maybe even some of the best co-op games of all time. Have fun and stay safe, in the sea and in space!

This month Quinns was afraid to restart his regular board game nights until he’d been double-vaccinated, so not for the first time this year, he broke out a solo game. Hostage Negotiator by Van Ryder Games. And OH BABY! What a FIND!

The base games of Hostage Negotiator and Hostage Negotiator: Crime Wave are plenty of fun, but it’s Hostage Negotiator: Career that inspired this video.

Have you ever wanted to star in your own questionable series of airport novels? Then this is the game for you.

Matt stumbles into outer space, providing you with an exclusive tour of Dune: The Dessert Planet.

The person who actually received the review copy for Railroad Ink: Deluxe Edition (Railroad Ink Challenge: Lush Green, Railroad Ink Challenge: Shining Yellow and all the dice expansions) was Quinns. I (Tom) had to persuade Mr Quintin to relinquish his grasp on the box because, of course, I was the bigger, better fan of Railroad Ink – I play it on my own, for goodness sake.

Little did I know that the box was a Monkey’s Paw. Little did I know that within a few short months, I would be rattling on about ‘The Rainbow Die’, ‘The Eldritch Expansion’ and drawing up the tier list from (and starring) hell. The words and behaviour of the utterly deranged. Enjoy!

This summer the site turned TEN YEARS OLD! If it was a child it would have no legal rights to speak of, but it would be, erm, tall? It might be tall. Today we’re launching our ten year anniversary donation drive and teasing a brand-new feature that we’re hoping to launch. What do you say, everybody? How does another ten years sound?

More details over on the SHUX page!

Another much-requested video lands on the site this week – it’s Prophecy of Kings! But can the excitement of this massive box pry Matt away from the beloved, basic version of Twilight Imperium? Only time will tell! Approximately 20 minutes of your time, if you’ve got it.

Oats! The latest, biggest, four-letter-iest board game from Leder Games! It is not to be confused, mind, with Oath. That game SUCKS.

In this week’s review, Tom is spending a sweet half of an hour talking you through the ins and outs of this year’s most anticipated, most perplexing title. How good is it? Short answer: very – but click play for a whole bundle of words that are slightly more nuanced than that…

“It’s time to GUSH… about your CRUSH!”

It’s challenging to imagine a more nauseating line of marketing copy, and yet that’s exactly what Dream Crush expects you to do. I won’t stand for it.

Wait, Quinns thinks this game is good? He thinks this game is good? He thinks this game is good? I’m uncertain about all of this, but I’m going to press play all the same.

Knock knock, who is there, it is crime – and it has come to take all of your things away from you and use them to buy other, different things. So it goes.

In this week’s video review, Tom takes a look at the ‘very large detective’ simulator MicroMacro: Crime City. Is it good? Is it bad? Is it somewhere in-between?! Hopefully this video review will do the detective work for you! Expect ‘at least one joke’, some seriously dry b-roll, and one rare instance of good timekeeping.

When was the last time you had a good summon? It’s been too long, hasn’t it?

In that case, may we recommend the brand-spanking new edition of Summoner Wars, which is also now playable online? It’s got goblins. It’s got magic spells. It’s got plenty of charming fantasy art. And most importantly, it has a swanky, simple little ruleset that’s easy to learn and hard to master.

In fact, we like this game so much we’ve now reviewed it twice. I’m not going to go back and watch our original 2011 review because I would die instantly, but if you want to do so then that is a choice that you can make.

A banquet on a sinking ship can’t last forever, but there’s just enough time to prove yourself the most fabulous rat aboard! Each round you’ll be scavenging for supplies and competing with your honorable host in a most delightful competition of dishes and decorations – all the while forgetting that the ship is sinking beneath you!

Download the game here, or visit this page for half of your purchase to go to environmental charity – let’s make our cardboard addiction a more sustainable hobby together!

RATS: High Tea at Sea is a print & play, roll & write boardgame for 2-6 players that’s playable over the internet, in the same room, or a combination of the two! It is preposterously easy to learn and teach, but has sneaky twists and turns that will reveal themselves every time you play – a lovely little treat for whoever fancies climbing aboard.

This week you’ll find an unusually restrained version of Matt Lees reviewing another small-box stonker from publisher Devir. We enjoyed Silk quite a bit a few years ago, but this crunchy little number, The Red Cathedral, is the real, real deal.

In this week’s video review, Tom is blasting off into SPACE to find the spreadsheet of his dreams in a game packed to the gills with iconography. Is one large icon better than two, smaller icons? Find out right here!

As dry as Beyond The Sun most certainly is, it is also maybe my true game of last year – a total joy to play every single time. This review most certainly doesn’t do it justice (I even forgot to put the recommends badge!). Give it a spin on Board Game Arena if you’re curious, and grab copies whilst they’re fresh off the press x

Well, that’s a wrap on “fun”, I hope you all ate enough of it while it was still warm. The team will return sooner than you know it for a weekend splurge of Lots of Content. We hope you’re having a good week – see you soon!

After the year we’ve had, who among us isn’t dreaming of moving to the country? Well, now you can give the rural life a test-drive with Stardew Valley: The Board Game, a board game adapation of the wildly successful videogame.

It’s fair to say that SU&SD hasn’t had the easiest time recommending video game adapations, but hey! There’s a first time for everything, right?

…right?

Today, we’re pleased to be announcing AwSHUX Spring: a digital event that squeezes a few aspects of a physical convention into a special DIGITAL world that’s 100% free for attendees!

https://awshux.show will go live on Friday April 23 at 8am PDT | 4pm GMT | 11am EDT.

There will be no password, signup or registration needed. You may want to create a Discord account (free) to do demos at exhibitor booths or hang out with other attendees. A Twitch account (also free) will come in handy if you want to interact/comment on Twitch streams over the weekend, but you do not need one to watch streams. Tabletopia (who have kindly partnered with us for a second time) will have a special link that we’ll have on the AwSHUX site to enjoy free access to all their games over the weekend as well!

We had a ton of fun running AwSHUX last year, and since things around the world are still a tad rubbish, we figured why not do another one in April, as well? The COVID situation continues to be especially tough for publishers and players alike, so we hope at the very least this provides a welcome splash of cheer. Here’s what we’ve got planned:

Community

• We’ve heard over and over again that what sets SHUX apart is how friendly and welcoming the attendees are. After dressing up as scientists and trying to work out how to transfer that online, we landed on “a big discord” and live Twitch chat.
• SU&SD has always stood for having fun, but that can’t happen unless everyone feels comfortable. Much as with our physical convention, our goal is to create the safest and most inclusive space we can online – SHUX relies and thrives on everyone in attendance looking out for each other, and that starts with us.
• People travel from around the world to come to SHUX, so the advantage of AwSHUX is you can spend the whole weekend in your favourite chair without horrifying charges for adding oversized luggage.

Playing board games

• Playing our favourite games and finding new delights is what cons are all about – we’re once again partnering with Tabletopia to bring you thousands of games you can play with other attendees, for absolutely FREE. If you thought they had a good selection last year but haven’t used it recently, we reckon you’ll be impressed with the increased library size. Whether you’re on your own or traveling in a pack, we’ll be doing all we can to make it smooth and easy to get you online and playing some games.Discord will be ready for those wanting to join up with others on Tabletop Simulator or Board Game Arena, too – but Tabletopia will have a full staff on hand to help knock down any potential barriers to entry.
• Play from home with the SU&SD team! We’ve had some awesome experiments on Twitch, and we’ll be ramping that up with more play-along fun throughout the weekend. Lookout for some practice runs on our Tuesday streams leading up to AwSHUX!
• A tiny creature is whispering into my ear that we’ve got even more giveaways and prizes than last year? And that you’ll be able to win stuff just by “playing games”? It seems unrealistic, I do not believe it, but this tiny creature is adamant that this is THE TRUTH.
• Want to get in on an RPG? No problem – we’ll have those!
• Love to teach games or help others? We’d really like to hear from you! Tabletopia, Tabletop Simulator, Board Game Arena or whatever your favourite platform to play on – drop us a message here!

Incredible live events and special guests

• We will be running ONE Twitch channel 10 hours a day, with a replay looping when we’re offline for that truly terrifying international 24-hour non-stop vibe. We’ll be doing that every day, for THREE days in a row, packed full of a whole bunch of lovely live content:

1. Massive live play-along games you can take part in from home.
2. Live plays and demos of some of the show’s hottest launch titles.
3. Panels & podcasts with some of our favourite folks from both inside and outside of the industry. If you were in Twitch chat during last AwSHUX, you may already have a clue or two about who these might be!

An online Expo hall brimming with potential and excitement

• Seeing, trying, and buying the newest games the industry has to offer has buzz that’s very difficult to capture outside of a physical convention. But: we have a plan!Admittedly, our plan is to just repeat last year’s plan? It involves a ‘virtual’ hall where scrolling down the page feels *exactly* like walking down the concourse at a busy convention. Squint, shuffle your legs around underneath the table, and pretend that someone keeps accidentally getting in your way – and you’ll have to PINCH yourself as a brutal reminder that you are in fact merely on A Computer Website.Obviously, we can’t capture the true magic of a physical space, but people seemed to really like it last year, and we’re hoping the same is true this April! We’ve made a few usability improvements, and added a few more halls to speed up page-loads. We think it’s pretty neat!
• When a game catches your eye in one of the halls, just stop by to see a live demo, ask a question or two, or even learn the game and play a couple rounds!
• Like what you’ve seen? You can add games directly to your shopping cart without having to queue with that pesky physical form – AND without worrying about carrying it all home?As you peruse exciting new stuff over the weekend, feel cheered in the knowledge that anything you do buy will see publishers getting a MUCH better cut than they would from big online retailers, and you’ll also be directly supporting AwSHUX with that very same purchase!
• And OOH, what’s that? New SU&SD merch, available to buy online? Sir you have retained my interest, please hold my fancy hat while I enter your establishment!

– – –

Shut Up & Sit Down was founded to highlight & amplify how wonderful this hobby can be, and it wouldn’t be anything without the incredible folks who keep the hobby going. AwSHUX is the perfect opportunity to champion the games and the people who make it what it is, and so we’ll be working closely with exhibitors, indies, guests, and creators to get their work popping off the page and into your home, as best we can.

We can’t wait for a future where we can all be together again, making new friends and discover new games across those beautiful physical “real-world tables”. Anyone who’s ever attended a great board game convention will know that there’s truly nothing better than being surrounded by a room full of strangers all laughing and having fun playing the games you know well, and games you’ve never seen.

A hobby with such power to bring people together will be instrumental in reuniting us all once again when the time is right and the clouds start to clear. In the meantime, be safe, be kind, and be dumb with us online.

Keep an eye on Twitter and the SHUX website for more AwSHUX and SHUX announcements, and as always we’re just an email away if you have any specific questions or comments. Otherwise, stay safe – and we’ll see you all soon!

– Team SU&SD

Cubes! Everyone’s favourite three dimensional solid. Tom incorrectly refers to the components in this game as ‘dice’ over and over again, when in reality the game makes it explicitly clear that these are in fact Cubitos; borne of the mother cube, emissaries to the world of… other… shapes…

Listen, Cubitos is a game so full of wackiness that it becomes hard to write jokes about, which is why I outsourced all the humour in this video to a tub of green face paint. Watch at your peril, the J-cuts are all wrong and the green still hasn’t quite come out of my beard!

CAVES! FORESTS! MAMMOTHS!

What do all of these things have in common? That’s right! You can die inside them.

Today Quinns is looking at new co-operative game Paleo, and do you know what? This is one of the better co-op games to land on our desk in recent years. It’s also – you’ll never guess – kind of problematic.

Apologies in advance if this video means you can never enjoy Bonk’s Adventure the same way again.

In this week’s review, Tom takes a look at Kitchen Rush – a decision that was entirely made by his family. ‘You’ve got to review it, we like it!’ they said. They were… Right, I suppose? I did have fun making the video. And speaking of fun…

That’s right folks,  in this video you can say hello to the newest month in the Shut Up & Sit Down calendar – fun month! From now on, that’s what March is. We got approval from the man behind the counter at WHSmith, who said he’d get it sorted with the bigwigs as soon as possible. He charged us very reasonably, considering the hassle. 

This week on the website Matt discovers that you *can’t* just stuff things inside of a jacket in order to recreate David Byrne’s signature look. We also made two new friends, one of whom is most definitely not alive – the other one? We’ll leave you to decide. Find out why City of the Big Shoulders, this caramel rainbow of brown and beige pieces, has captured a tiny piece of our heart..

What’s historical, great fun, set in medieval Germany and has two thumbs? THIS GUY! Wait, that can’t be right

Look, the point is we’ve done a review of a marvellous new edition of perhaps the greatest eurogame ever made. The new Hansa Teutonica Big Box isn’t actually any bigger than the old edition, but it’s not any more expensive, either, which is a truly fantastic thing. We implore you to take a look.

For this hot HOT review, Tom went back in time to 1992 and stole the design documents for a game that he’s sure will one day be a classic. Who did he steal them from? What was the game? One can only dream.

In the second of a double-Reiner-february-feature; a review of Modern Art, just for you. It’s an absolute classic in the auction game genre, and maybe one of Tom’s favourite games of all time? Watch him squirm as he grapples with the burden of encompassing that which cannot be encompassed.

Drop everything (unless you’re holding a baby)!

My City doesn’t look like much. It also doesn’t sound< like much. But what we’ve got here is master board game designer Reiner Knizia’s take on the genre of legacy games.

Remember how The Quest for El Dorado saw Reiner Knizia quietly mastering the genre of deckbuilding games? Well, without wanting to spoil this review entirely, he’s basically done it again. What an absolute legend.

Splish splosh, splish splish splosh. It’s time to get SALTY! This week’s review sees Matt diving into Oceans  – sadly not in real life as he lives in central London. Wrong time of year, too – frankly. Enjoy!

Initially the pitch for this video was 10 reviews overlapping one-another all at the same time, providing a sort of ‘dreamscape’ where the viewer doesn’t know exactly what they just watched; but instead have a strong sense-memory of really enjoying about half the games.

Instead, this. It’s probably more confusing, and it put me (Tom) into a slight frenzy. I’m now going to have a very long lie-down. Good luck!

Should you desire it, Button Shy’s games can be purchased through their website! Don’t pay them after dark though, or else something something gremlins reference.

Goodness gracious, we’re starting our 2021 video reviews with a… well, not a bang, exactly. A bang would be gauche.

Rococo Deluxe is a swanky new edition of hit 2013 board game Rococo that also plays host to the old game’s Jewellery Box expansion and all sorts of little extras.  Seven years later, will we still find Rococo to be elegant and classy? Or will it have become dusty and old-fashioned?

Click play, and find out.

As the year draws to a close, we’ve saved something small but rather special until last: Curious Cargo, a dedicated head-to-head game by the designer of Pipeline. How fiendish and deep can you possibly go when faced with a box this cute and tiny? Tune in to find out.

It’s that time of year again, folks! This year has obviously been a shocker for so many, but we’re continually thankful and incredibly privileged to be given the support to do what we do. Here’s a bit of silly fluff with a sprinkling of details about what we’ve got planned for 2021. If you can comfortably afford to support our team we really, really appreciate it!

With 2020 finally, improbably, coming to an end, we’re onto our final two video reviews of the year. And the first is a BIG ONE.

Following a terrifically successful Kickstarter campaign, Etherfields has been delivered to backers the world over. This massive box offers 1-4 players a surreal quest in a world of dreams, letting people go and beat up Mr. Sandman once and for all.

But does this box succeed? Or is it a bit of a nightmare? Click play, and find out.

Welcome one, welcome all! It is officially the most December-est time of the year, and that might mean you’re on the lookout for the perfect gift for the board gamer in your life? The board gamer in OUR life wants “an egg timer”, so there’s really no knowing if you’re barking up the right tree – but the whole SU&SD team is on-hand this week to give you great suggestions for great games that are currently in stock! Enjoy!

0:54 My City
1:51 Tournament at Camelot / Tournament at Avalon
2:35 Gùgōng
3:10 Undaunted: Normandy / Undaunted: North Africa
4:06 Pandemic Legacy Season 0 / Pandemic Legacy
4:28 Quacks of Quedlinberg
4:54 Oceans
5:19 Monikers: Serious Nonsense
6:03 Patchwork
6:22 The Mind
6:41 No Thanks!
7:00 The Crew
7:35 Ghost Blitz
8:24 New York Zoo
8:54 Modern Art
9:27 Solo RPGs: 9:41 Artefact, 9:58 The Sealed Library & The Wretch3d, 10:18 Thousand Year Old Vampire
10:38 Senet Magazine

A few more worth a look!
Little Town
Unmatched
Junk Art
Paris: La Cité de la Lumière
A Fake Artist Goes to New York
Watergate
Insider

As we approach the festive season, what better says ‘the festive season approaches’ more than a game about accusing those near and dear to you of being cold heartless androids.

Inhuman Conditions! It’s a unique oblong box that we’ve unleashed our keenest reporter on – to dissect its mechanical innards and make a big ‘ol video about it. What does he find in the entrails? Mostly oil and cogs, but also a rather good game!

And now we’re back! In outer space! This game with aliens might put a smile upon your face. Delving into the dusty mines of Serious Alone-Time, Matt reviews Under Falling Skies – the Print’n’Play Star turned fully-boxed product. Is it worth selling your Deskjet 3720 for the purposes of picking it up? Tune in right now, and why not FIND OUT.

OH BABY! It seems like only yesterday that Twilight Imperium 4th Edition was Quinns’ favourite wargame.

Not anymore! Eclipse: Second Dawn for the Galaxy is a 2nd edition of 2011 smash hit Eclipse. It’s also too big, too expensive, and arguably too dry. And apparently, according to Quinns, it’s still absolutely worth it.

Crikey! It’s a review! At this hour? On a WEDNESDAY?

For this scintillating mixture of performance art and review, Tom got lost in the woods for an entire week reviewing Renature – only bringing a camera and some boardgame pieces into the ordeal. On the 7th day, he emerges from amidst the leaves, and bestows upon us his completed work. Oh no.

Witness the fear in his eyes as he spies someone walking a dog straight towards him mid-take! Wince at the reverb-addled alternative vocal takes added in post because wind: it sucks! Fear the lines that were cut for a mixture of brevity and inability to watch oneself on camera. Why are you still here?! Press on, and you may find answers…

SPACE. Where did it come from? What’s it doing? And why is it so MUCH?

We have no idea, but board game publisher Renegade Game Studios is here to help, offering two great games that will teach us all about outer space- The Search for Planet X and a cute card game called Stellar.

On the one hand, we’re not sure what space did to deserve such generous treatment. On the other hand, space seems awfully dangerous, so perhaps it’s wise for people to stay on it’s good side.